Art Director, Opinion

The New York Times; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 125,000 - 141,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Restricted stock

Medical benefits

Dental benefits

Vision benefits

Flexible Spending Accounts (F.S.A.s)

401(k) plan with company match

Employee stock purchase plan

Paid vacation

Paid sick days

Paid parental leave

Tuition reimbursement

Professional development programs

Job summary

The New York Times in New York, NY is seeking a creative and collaborative Art Director for the Opinion Design team to redefine daily pages with a distinct visual identity. You’ll blend typography, photography, data visualization, and artwork to push print layouts while adapting digital content.

In-office role with four days in the office weekly and potential remote flexibility per department guidance, reporting to the Design Director, Opinion.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of print and digital editorial design leadership under tight deadlines.
• Proven art direction and visual editing skills, including talent commissioning.

Responsibilities

• Conceptualize and execute design solutions from concept through publication across print and digital.
• Collaborate with editors and stakeholders to align visual vision and translate interactive journalism into print.
• Commission and art direct illustrations, growing a talent network to elevate storytelling.
• Push layout boundaries with art placement and illustration integration.
• Craft display copy and edit text to improve layout flow.
• Manage full project lifecycles within publishing systems, meeting tight daily deadlines.
• Provide flexible coverage for the Sunday section as schedules require.
• Demonstrate support for journalistic independence and our mission to seek the truth.
• You will report to the Design Director, Opinion.

Skills

Editorial design leadership

Art direction & visual editing

Project management under deadlines

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite

Figma

Pagination software

Job description

The mission of The New York Times is to seek the truth and help people understand the world. That means independent journalism is at the heart of all we do as a company. It’s why we have a world-renowned newsroom that sends journalists to report on the ground from nearly 160 countries. It’s why we focus deeply on how our readers will experience our journalism, from print to audio to a world-class digital and app destination. And it’s why our business strategy centers on making journalism so good that it’s worth paying for.

About The Role

The New York Times is looking for a creative and collaborative Art Director to join our award-winning Opinion Design team. Partnering closely with Opinion Print Editors, you will reimagine our daily pages to establish a distinct visual identity separate from the newsroom. You will demonstrate your talent to organize complex information and create engaging designs. As a story-first editorial partner, you will combine sophisticated typography, photography, data visualization, and commissioned artwork, or create real-time illustration when needed, to push the boundaries of print layouts. You are passionate about print and interested in generating innovative ways to present and adapt digital-first content. You will bring advanced editorial design experience, strong project management skills to support daily deadline pressure, a deep passion for journalism, and a portfolio demonstrating versatile, high-impact narrative storytelling.

This is an in-office position based in New York and includes regular attendance in the office four days each week. There may be some flexibility to work remotely per your departmental guidance.

Responsibilities

• Conceptualize and execute design solutions from initial concept through publication across print and digital platforms
• Partner with editors, photo editors, and key stakeholders to align visual vision, define story approach, and translate complex interactive/video journalism into print formats
• Commission and art direct illustrations, growing a deep network of creative talent to elevate storytelling
• Push layout boundaries through sophisticated art placement, structure, and illustration integration
• Craft display copy and edit text independently to improve layout flow
• Manage full project lifecycles within proprietary publishing systems, meeting tight daily deadlines in a fast-paced constantly evolving news environment
• Provide flexible coverage for the Sunday section when schedules require
• Demonstrate support and understanding of our value of journalistic independence and a strong commitment to our mission to seek the truth and help people understand the world
• You will report to the Design Director, Opinion.

Basic Qualifications

• 5+ years of print and digital design experience leading editorial projects, product launches, and redesigns alongside senior leadership
• Proven art direction and visual editing skills, including commissioning talent, curating photo assets, and illustrating directly under tight timelines
• Mastery of design tools (Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, pagination software) and pre-press production, including color correction and print-ready prep

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong communicator capable of managing a high-intensity, news-driven schedule, including nights and weekends
• Experience in a newsroom or media environment with a strong visual judgment of illustration and photography trends
• Passion for off-platform visual storytelling and strong knowledge of domestic and international competitors
• Experience optimizing design workflows to support editorial deadlines and team efficiency managing multiple stakeholder feedback

This position is represented by the NewsGuild of NY.

Additional Compensation And Benefits

• Variable pay, such as an annual bonus and restricted stock
• Medical benefits
• Dental benefits
• Vision benefits
• Flexible Spending Accounts (F.S.A.s)
• A company-matching 401(k) plan
• Employee stock purchase plan
• Paid vacation
• Paid sick days
• Paid parental leave
• Tuition reimbursement
• Professional development programs

The annual base pay range for this role is between: $124,979.94 - $141,000 USD

Candidate Use Of GenAI Tools

We’re excited to learn more about you and your experience. To keep our hiring process as fair and authentic as possible, we ask that you submit your own work and not use GenAI tools to generate substantive content during the application and interview process. If you’re an engineering candidate, we’ll let you know what specific GenAI tools you are permitted to use for your technical assessment.

The New York Times Company is committed to being the world’s best source of independent, reliable and quality journalism. To do so, we embrace a diverse workforce that has a broad range of backgrounds and experiences across our ranks, at all levels of the organization. We encourage people from all backgrounds to apply.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate on the basis of an individual's sex, age, race, color, creed, national origin, alienage, religion, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation or affectional preference, gender identity and expression, disability, genetic trait or predisposition, carrier status, citizenship, veteran or military status and other personal characteristics protected by law. All applications will receive consideration for employment without regard to legally protected characteristics. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)’s Know Your Rights Poster is available here.

The New York Times Company will provide reasonable accommodations as required by applicable federal, state, and/or local laws. Individuals seeking an accommodation for the application or interview process should email [e-mail]. Emails sent for unrelated issues, such as following up on an application, will not receive a response.

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